Questions about bel canto style of singing?

Question

(Okay, this may be long.) So, I know what bel canto is but perhaps I may have a bit misconception about it. I do know that bel canto is a technique of singing that focuses on evenness as well as agility and flexibility of one's voice. It emphasizes technique rather than volume. In other words, it's the opposite of belting in pop music, am I right? But I always thought that bel canto is only associated with coloratura voices. I have no idea that ALL voice types can learn bel canto technique.

My questions are:

1. Is bel canto something that all opera singers MUST learn, even for those with big dramatic voices?

2. How can you tell if someone is bel canto-trained? Or perhaps I can give an example like this: (let's say) two dramatic singers both sing a heavy dramatic piece (which is so NOT bel canto at all), however one is bel canto-trained and the other one is not. How can you tell if one is bel canto-trained and one is not just by listening to them, when they don't sing a bel canto aria/repertoire at all?

3. Bel canto technique is the same throughout the world, right? I mean, ideally there should be no difference if you learn the bel canto technique in Europe as opposed to the US, Australia, Asia etc, right? Then howcome I keep hearing that there is a difference between someone who is trained European bel canto compared to non-European bel canto? A friend of mine said that he could tell if someone learned bel canto in Europe as opposed to those in let's say, America or elsewhere. He couldn't specifically explain how, but he said that between the European style and elsewhere, each has its own distinctive feature and that he could just "tell" by his instinct. Now, I know that bel canto is originated from Italy (Europe). So does it safe to say that it's better to learn bel canto technique in Italy/Europe? Or can you learn it anywhere as long as the technique is correct?

4. If someone is a trained bel canto singer, does that mean he/she could no longer belt (not "belting" as in pushing your voice beyond your capacity coz I know that all singers must never do that; no, what I mean with "belting" here is singing with full volume at the top of your lungs whether you use chest or head voice)? Considering that bel canto puts less emphasize on volume, is it unadvisable for anyone who learn bel canto to sing with full volume? As I often hear.... you either sing "bel canto or "can belto"!!!

5. And one more thing, how can you tell if someone is really using a bel canto technique rather than he/she is good at singing bel canto repertoire (coz I know singing with bel canto technique is not the same as singing bel canto repertoire)?

Sorry for the long questions. And to anyone who answer, thanx in advance.

Answer 1

This is certainly a mouthful and addresses a lot of misconceptions and confusions that plague many singers and educators of voice. Firstly, I think it is important to address the definition of the term 'bel canto'. Yes, it does directly translate from Italian to mean 'beautiful singing', but we all know that singing beautifully can be realised across many genres of music. Many people make the mistake of looking at 'bel canto' as a period of time, however, this is just the result of the style being most popular for composition during the early 19th century, with major exponent such as Bellini, Rossini and Donizetti producing multitudes of works. Therefore, we can say that 'bel canto' is a style that requires certain vocal techniques, some of these are specific to 'bel canto' while others are shared with other periods of Opera history. Before, I address your actual questions it is also important to note that many people group all Opera with 'bel canto', this is entirely untrue as bel canto opera is dissimilar in many ways to other forms of the art. Now it is true that 'bel canto' requires flawless technique but the voices of the people who sing in this style must equally be heard in the largest Opera Houses around the world without the aid of a microphone, so there is still a large focus on volume, just as with other opera styles. Also, it is interesting that you speak of 'eveness' in the begining, which is certainly true for the more florid passages of bel canto writing, however, the style also incorporates much more 'rubato' than other vocal styles, which is a free ebb and flow of the tempo within the piece to create emotional expression. Another quick note about coloratura, it is another technique not specific to any style that can be employed by a composer. It can be seen in Mozart, Verdi, Donizetti even John WIlliams. But I digress.

1. While it is good to be able to sing within the repertoire, it is not necessary for all Opera singers. Many singers find it difficult to sing within the music rather than accompanied by it. Sumi Jo, the famous Korean soprano who is a major exponent of 'bel canto', speaks of getting lost in the music while she's singing which requires a constant musicality as opposed to the strict rhythms and harmonic rhythms of earlier works. Elizabeth Schwarzkopf, a well-known soprano during much of the 20th century, rarely ventured into bel canto, singing comfortably within the realms of Mozart and Puccini, who require a different set of equally difficult techniques.

2. Here, I am takling the assumption that the two singers are both classically trained. However, the problem lies here with many people's definition of the term. A good singer can apply 'bel canto' techniques at will and will be able to sing an appropriate song with the right vocal placement and approach. However, very few people would be able to tell the difference between a bel canto singer and a Mozart Opera singer if both were singing a song out of thier style. That is not to say that if a singer where using proper bel canto techniques to sing within the repertoire and another classically trained singer was not you wouldn't be able to hear the difference, becuase in this case you could. It's all matter of which style and what techniques were being applied. You may also be surprised to find very dramatic dongs within the bel canto repertoire, in 'Lucia di Lamermoor', Lucia kills her fiancee and then goes mad singing a fortissimo very-high-E at the end of a 15 min slog.

3. The basic ideals of the technique are the same, yes. However, minute differences naturally creep up out of the different teaching styles, that exist. From Matilda Marchesi to Jo Estill, every teacher will have a slightly different idea of what the perfect bel canto sound is and as a result different singers will study the techniques differently. This definately makes a difference on the world stage, different areas of the world value different aspects of the bel canto style and emphasise these within their singers. An example is that most Asian sopranos retain a bell-like sound with little vibrato and most Russian basses have the broadest most resonant sound. To say, however, that these differences are so grand that people can pick the countries where they studied so definately is quite a jump.

4. This is perhaps your most interesting question. As singers we have the ability to contort the muscles, cartilages and resonating spaces within our head, neck and body to create the most varied timbres out of any instrument. Every person, let alone every singer, has the capacity to belt. When yelling for help or trying to get someones attention in a loud room we engage the formation of muscles that gives us the most carrying versions of our voices. When singing operatically we lower the larynx and retract our false vocal folds to create the cleanest most luxurious sound. A well trained singer will be able to adapt all the different formations of the voice for the occassion. Belting is safe for bel canto singers so long as it is being done correctly. Consider Pavarotti singing a 'High C' over the top of a full orchestra, this requires a certain level of belt, but still sits comfortably within the bel canto technique.

5. This is absolutely correct you can get a well trained Opera singer singing techniques they may use for a late Verdi Opera and use these in a 'Bel Canto' work, creating the allusion of good bel canto technique. This will go very largely unnoticed as there are many similarities in the basics for bel canto and Verdi-style and even Mozart-style (consider The Queen of the Night), so it doesn't really matter.

I hope this information proved helpful, it is certainly a complex topic and there is alot of false information out there as well as new information every day. The most important thing of course is that people sing safely and enjoyably in whatever style they feel most comfortable, be it 'bel canto', pop, hip-hop or other.

Answer 2

Short answer. "Bel canto" is beautiful singing. There are lots of people who claim to have a "bel canto" technique, who don't. Don't be misled.

I am paraphrasing here, because I don't have it in front of me, but the great singer and teacher Mathilde Marchesi said in her "Vocal Method" something like:

"A great deal is made of the German, Italian, French, etc. schools of singing. I have sung in the great opera houses of Europe, and I can tell you that there are only TWO schools of singing. The GOOD, which produces beautiful, healthy sounds, and the BAD, which produces ugly, unhealthy sounds."

That is just as true today. Good singing is supported, focused, free of tension, balanced, coordinated, facile, etc. Bad singing is not.

The end.